Bracket structure for pivoting ironing board



July 15, 1969 K. L YTWYNKA 3,455,530

BRACKET STRUCTURE FOR PIVOTING IRONING BOARD Filed March 13, 1968 INVENTOR KONSTA P? MAWQPATENT AGENT United States Patent O 3,455,530 BRACKET STRUCTURE FR PIVOTING IRONING BOARD Konstantyn Lytwynka, 1313 20th St., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Filed Mar. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 712,662 Claims priority, application Canada, July 18, 1967, 995,710 Int. Cl. D06f 81 06 U.S. Cl. 248-291 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Au ironing-board support bracket comprises a back wall with side walls between which one end of a flanged socket-like board holder is received, the forward vertical edges of the side walls being rigidly joined with a transverse low front wall. A transverse flange on the back wall engages the top surface of the end of the board holder when it is swung into the horizontal with its side flanges closely engaging the vertical edges of the side walls and resting upon the front wall. Pivots extend through the side flanges and through inwardly-formed bosses in the side walls which closely engage the side flanges. Resilient friction blocks in the upper side walls grip the side flanges to retain the board holder erect when swung upright. If the side-walls are secured in closely-fitting relation to building framing, as in a built-in cupboard, the board exhibits minimal sag, sway or twist under usual working loads.

This invention concerns a support bracket for a pivoting ironing board, and more particularly concerns a unitary metal framework adapted to be rigidly secured to a wall or wall cabinet framing and carrying a hinging foldable board holder. l

Pivoting board supports heretofore provided have been found to lack sufiicient rigidity due to inherently deficient bracing provided for the pivoted members, which are usually projections extended from the base of the board and engaged by screwnails or like fastenings seated in the wall framing. ln use, the board soon develops objectionable lateral sway and especially when loaded near its side edges the board tends to twist. The resulting instability and rattling prove irksome and interfere with good work.

The board support unit according to my invention achieves a superior rigidity and maintains this improved rigidity through a long use life while being of very simple construction and of low cost, and consists essentially of a box-like sheet metal framework strongly braced to resist extreme torsion loads, in which a board-holding metal bracket is a sleeve-like rigid member pivotally supported in the framework and positively restrained to prevent side sway when in its normal use position by upright guide portions of the framework. The unit receives significant additional bracing when it is secured between opposed and closely-fitted wall framing elements of a cabinet or like built-in fixture so that o-center vertical loads and side thrust applied to the board cause a minimum of twist or sway. The unit is however sufliciently rigid to permit of mounting by its back panel only to a rigid wall or building frame.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying figures of the drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the unit showing the framework with the board holder swung into the horizontal;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section on a median plane, showing the storage position in a wall cabinet in which the unit is aflixed, of a completed unit carrying an ironing board;

Patented July 15, 1969 ice FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing the offset pivot and pivot guide structure;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, except that it is taken on a horizontal plane passed through the righthand pivot of the unit of FIG. l;

FIG. 5 is a section in enlarged scale taken through the stored board of FIG. 2 on line 5 5 thereof;

FIG, 6 shows a frontal view of the left side of the unit of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 7 `shows a modified pivot and side panel similar to the view of FIG. 3.

With reference to the drawing, a board-holding unit generally designated 10 in FIG. l comprises a braced rectangular fixture 11 of unitary sheet metal construction having parallel upright side panels 12 and 13 and an upright back panel 14. The upper margins 15 of the back and side panels are inturned and disposed in the horizontal plane, and the forward edges of the side panels have aligned marginal portions 16 which are further inturned to form the upright opposed parallel guides 17. The unit is braced further as by welding the intersecting margins 15 meeting in the corners 18, and by welding the intersection of margins 15 and 16 in the corners 19 of the side panels.

An angle-section brace 20 connects the side panels and extends transversely of the unit adjacent the lower ends of the panels, having its upright portion 21 integrally joined as by welding with the side margins 16 and its inturned horizontal flange portions 22 joined with the side margins 17. Another angle-section brace 23 is secured along the inside wall of the back panel 14 by its upright flange portion 24, as by spot welding, and has its other flange portion 25 projecting in a horizontal plane from the back panel.

Each of the side panels 12 and 13 are draw-formed inwardly to provide projecting bosses 27 having perforations 27A, the distance between the planar inside faces 28 of the opposed bosses being identical with the distance between opposed guides 17. As may be best seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, this distance corresponds closely to the distance measured between the outer faces of side flanges 29 of a board-holder 30 which is received as a free sliding fit between the bosses and the guides.

The board-holder 30 comprises a short socket member as shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 6, for receiving a wooden or composition ironing board B therein, or it may be extended to the full length as a metal panel or as a metal frame-and-mesh board structure f (not shown) as is well known in the art. In either form, the basal portion is perforated in its side flanges 29 to receive a screwnail 31 or an equivalent fastener passed through the framework aperture 27A and the side flanges as shown in FIG. 3; alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, a pivot bolt 32 may be provided, the board being suitably recessed adjacent the inside of a flange 29 to permit insertion. Such pivot members should be of sufcient robustness as to ensure adequate bearing strength, particularly when the horizontal dimension of a side panel is equivalent to the nominal 4 inch dimension of 2 x 4 dressed lumber. The side flanges 29 are provided with inturned flanges 37, to increase the rigidity of the board holder.

When the board is in the opened, i.e., its normal use position, the basal portion of the board-holder 30 will be mainly or entirely supported by and resting upon the transverse flange 22 with its inturned socket-forming flanges 37, and with its flat end portion 30 bearing against the under side of the transverse flange 25. Accordingly there will be little load taken by the pivot members. However in resisting lateral deflection, viz. sway, it is imperative that there be minimum play of either pivot in the apertures, and that the side flanges 29 should closely but slidably engage the side-panel guides 17. This will be apparent from a consideration of the structure of FIG. 1, in which any tendency for the board to turn about a vertical axis of rotation in the base will be restricted by the abutting relation of the side flanges 29 against the bosses 27, in cooperation with the closely-contacting sliding engagement of either side flange 29 with the guides 17. Since the distance between one boss and the opposite boss considerably exceeds the distance between one boss and the guide edge 17 on the same side panel, sway will be mainly restricted by the freedom from play existing at the pivots, and also by the torsional stiffness of the framework including wall framing.

When the unit and board-holder are made of adequately heavy sheet steel and the flanges and transverse braces have sufficient strength, as for example when the metal thickness is at least 0.065 inch, it is found that the assembly exhibits remarkable stiffness and freedom from sway, sag or twist, particularly if the mounting arrangement is such that the side panels are closely fitted against framing uprights of a wall cabinet.

In order to mount the unit in a variety of support arrangements, the side panels 12, 13 and the back panel 14 may each be suitably pre-perforated as at 33, such openings being pierced at the site if necessary to suit existing framing.

Friction blocks 34 are provided to retain the boardholder in its erected, storing position, these being pinned or rivetted under the side margins 15 of the side panels. Preferably the blocks comprise a suitably resilient and lubricatable material, such as neoprene rubber, and are so dimensioned that when the board-holder is lifted upright they are compressed by and frictionally engage the side anges 29, as seen from FIG. 5. To facilitate the action the forward portions 34A are tapered, the maximum thickness of the block being somewhat greater than the width of the margins 15.

Alternatively, a fiat spring device (not shown) having equivalent resilient gripping effect may be provided to keep the board vertical until pulled downward for use.

In certain sizes it may be desirable to make the frontal width of the side panels margins 16 rather wider, to increase the stiffness. The extent of the draw-forming operation on the side panels 12 and 13 would therefore not need to be greater than necessary to provide a depth of recesses 27 sufficient to afford clearance for the head of a screwnail or other pivot pin or bolt. The side flanges 29 are then integrally joined with stand-offs or spacer sleeves 36, which have cross-sectional dimensions providing adequate bearing strength and rigidity under side thrusts applied to the board. The lengths of the spacers are such that close contact is made with the inner surfaces 28 of the bosses.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pivoting ironing board support bracket, of a unitary metal framework adapted to be secured to wall framing and comprising a back panel and a pair of integral opposed side panels extending at right angles from the ends of said back panel, said side panels having upright front margins and horizontal top margins, said margins comprising inturned flanges and said front margins further comprising opposed parallel guide flanges joined with said inturned fianges, a first transverse bracing member secured between lower portions of said front margins and a second transverse bracing member secured between said side panels and joined with said back panel, recesses pressed inwardly of said side panels forming opposed pierced bosses disposed between said transverse bracing members, said bracket comprising a metal member having a fiat side and integral parallel pierced side flanges having inturned marginal ange extensions, the spacing between the outer surfaces of said side flanges being such that said board may be inserted into said framework with said side flanges in sliding contact therewith and also in sliding contact with said guide anges to register said apertures for receiving fastening pivot devices for rotation of said board support bracket between an upright position and a horizontally extended position with said marginal fiange extensions bearing on said first transverse brace element and the upper surface of said fiat side engaging an undersurface of said second transverse bracing element.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said top margins of said side panels and said back panel are integrally bonded at their junctions, and the top and front margins of said side panels are also bonded at their junctions.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein said side panels support resilient wedge-shaped holding elements disposed in opposed relation adjacent said top margins to frictionally engage said side flanges when said bracket is upright.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein said recesses are formed to a depth less than the width of said front margins but sufficient to recess an end of said fastening pivot devices.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein integral spacer sleeves extend from said side flanges to contact respective opposed faces of said bosses when said bracket is assembled with said fastening pivot devices thereto.

6. The article of claim 3 wherein said support bracket comprises an end portion of a unitary metal-frame ironing board.

7. The article of claim 2 wherein said second transverse bracing member comprises a right-angle metal section joined by one web with said back panel and having the other web in the horizontal and projecting forwardly at a level such that when said fiat side of said bracket engages said other web the board support bracket is in the horizontal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,880,621 10/ 1932 Willetts 10S-42 1,963,721 6/1934 Smith 10S-134 2,498,558 2/1950 Lantz 108-134 XR 2,514,703 7/1950 Lantz 10S-134 XR 2,882,004 4/ 1959 Leishman 248-284 2,967,077 1/1961 Suben 10S-135 2,974,920 3/ 1961 Spaulding 248--291 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner GLENN D. FINCH, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

